The first visit of an Uzbek president to the Islamic Republic in 20 years concluded on June 18 with a joint statement in which Iran and Uzbekistan outlined 10 agreements that they determined would strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation.

The agreements cover areas including energy, technology, agriculture, insurance and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as trade transit. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a point of stressing to his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev that Iran offers landlocked Uzbekistan a gateway to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean for the further transiting of exports to third country markets.

The two sides also signed a document on preferential trade. Raisi, said official Iranian news agency IRNA, called on ministers from both sides to within two weeks list commodities that will be covered by the arrangement. Tehran and Tashkent could aim for annual trade worth $3bn, he declared. The trade volume only reached $431mn in 2021, Iranian official data show. 

The need for negotiations on initiating joint free trade zones was identified by Iranian and Uzbek officials on the sidelines of the visit, according to local media.

A roadmap on gas and petrochemical industry cooperation, with a focus on downstream operations, was, meanwhile, signed by the two countries’ oil ministers.

Mirziyoyev also  met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  

Khamenei emphasised the unique historical, cultural and scientific ties that have developed between Iran and Uzbekistan over the centuries and expressed his satisfaction with the revitalisation of bilateral relations “after a long hiatus”.

Mirziyoyev commended the Iranian nation's resilience in the face of sanctions and said that the achievements of the Iranian government, particularly in the realms of science and technology, were admirable.